Every day Karissa and Dinara reviews their daily records, and though they had
learned to work well together, Karissa kept sensing that Dinara still wasn't
over being angry . . . Or not so much being angry with Karissa for taking her
position . . . but it was still unresolved. So at their morning meeting, she
had asked Dinara to meet her after their shift was over in her office, so that
they could talk.
As shift ended, Karissa sat at her desk still going over the crew's case histories
as Dinara entered.
Dinara walked into Karissa's part of the office. "You wanted to speak to me?" she asked a bit apprehensively. After all the two had never really spoken casually.
"Yeah," she said with a soft smile, "Why don't you have seat?"
Dinara took a seat on the theraputic sofa as Karissa turned to her. "This seems a bit weird. You're not going to counsel me are you?"
Karissa laughed. "I hope it doesn't come to that! No . . . I just wanted to ask you how you feel about being demoted . . . It must be difficult to go from Ship's Counselor to Assistant Counselor . . ."
"I see where this is headed. You want to make sure I'm alright with you being my superior now?"
Karissa sighed. "Yeah, that's it," she replied, straight to the point. "I have been picking up some tension within you associated with this and . . . I wanted to know what I could do, within my powers to help with the adjustment . . ." She understood how Dinara felt . . . She had never gone through anything like that, but she did know how it felt to have your world turned upside down.
"It's not that I'm particularly angry. I mean, I know I will still get to do a lot of the counselling. It's just it will seem a bit weird for a while. I mean, straight out of the academy, I was posted abord the USS Knight and I was chief counsellor there and have been ever since. I just never thought I'd see myself in this position and it will take a bit of time to adjust"
Karissa nodded. "Well, I know it would seem even more strange, but if you need someone to talk to . . . I'm available . . . And believe me, I understand the feelings you're having . . . " She was smiling, but there was a certain sadness in her eyes. She turned away. "But it is reassuring to know you aren't angry!" she said, looking at Dinara and smiling again.
"It looks like you're the one who may need someone to talk too," said Dinara catching the sadness in Karissa's voice. "Wanna trade seats?" she said jokingly.
Karissa laughed softly. "Maybe one of these days . . . But I'm not ready for that myself yet . . . "
"Are you sure? I mean, I know I don't know you too well, but you seem to be pretty down?"
"I'm sure . . ." she replied. "It's something I'm not ready to talk about to anyone . . . " Karissa's eyes stared off for a moment, seeing Ryan's face in her mind, and then turned her attention back to Dinara. Only a moment has passed. "But thanks for the offer! I suppose someone has to counsel the counselor . . . so I'll keep your offer in mind."
"Well, just remember that I'm here" she smiled. She stood up to leave, but sat back down again. "Karissa, I know I don't know you very well, but I need someone to be my Renek at my wedding. It needs to be a woman, and your the one I know best aboard this ship, and the one I would most like to have do it for me"
Surprised went into Karissa's eyes. "You really want me to do it?" she asked. She felt honored.
"It isn't really much. Do you know anything about Bajoran weddings?"
"Actually, I know a bit . . . I believe I know what your Renek is suppose to do . . . But we can go over that, so I do it just right," she replied, happy to have another distraction on her mind. A good distraction at that. "You know, I feel very honored that you would ask me . . ."
"Well, I hope it will start a good friendship between us"
"I think it will . . ." Karissa replied.
"Well, I must be going, Tyran will be wondering where I am. I'll see you 0:800 tomorrow then"
"All right . . . and just let me know when you want to go over stuff for your wedding!" she smiled.
"I'll do that" Dinara said, as she hurriedly left through the door.
Karissa watched the door close and
thought bittersweetly that it was good someone's life was happy . . .